Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Man United’s Højlund wants loan move

Rasmus Højlund wants any loan deal to include an obligation to make it permanent if he leaves Manchester United, while Arsenal are weighing up a move for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.
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TOP STORIES
– Sources: Chelsea owners BlueCo closing in on Enciso deal
– Sources: Chelsea’s Renato Veiga close to Villarreal move
– Sources: Arsenal set to hijack Tottenham’s £67.5m move for Eze
– Source: USMNT’s Aaronson near move from Frankfurt to Rapids
– Source: Orlando Pirates’ Mofokeng on brink of move to Minnesota
TRENDING RUMORS
— Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund has made it clear to Napoli, RB Leipzig, AC Milan and any other interested clubs that he wants any loan deal to include an obligation to sign for them permanently rather than an option, reports Fabrizio Romano. The 22-year-old had been keen to stay at Old Trafford but now wants to feel the confidence of his new club if he is to leave. Elsewhere, Corriere dello Sport state that Højlund is the most likely option to replace Napoli’s injured striker Romelu Lukaku.
– While Arsenal are closing on a £67.5 million deal to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze from under the noses of Tottenham Hotspur, they are also weighing up a move for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, claims The Sun. A potential long-term injury to striker Kai Havertz has made an attempt to sign Rogers more likely, but the Gunners had already been closely monitoring the 23-year-old as they looked for somebody to challenge Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing. Villa are determined to keep the England international and are no longer under financial pressure, so they are unlikely to entertain any offers under £80m.
– Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho is now on Internazionale‘s short list, reports TEAMtalk, which adds that Roma are also still in picture after initially being rejected by the 25-year-old. Sancho could look for a loan to keep his options open as a free agent in 2026, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus the frontrunners. Turkish side Besiktas are also interested in the winger, who has no future at Old Trafford after signing for €85m from Dortmund in 2021.
– Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is RB Leipzig’s top option to replace midfielder Xavi Simons, says Florian Plettenberg, with the Netherlands international being set to join Chelsea for around €60m after the Bundesliga opener against Bayern Munich. Leipzig have already agreed personal terms with Elliott — who was a standout performer in England’s U21 Euros win this summer — and the Reds would let him leave if they received a suitable offer.
– Brentford have rejected Newcastle United‘s improved offer of £35m, plus £5m in add-ons, to sign striker Yoane Wissa, as reported by The Athletic. Brentford haven’t given any club a valuation for the transfer of the 28-year-old, who wants to make the move to St James’ Park, but clearly want more than £40m. Newcastle had previously had a £25m offer rejected, while Nottingham Forest have seen two bids rejected since last January but have now moved on to other targets.
CONFIRMED DEALS
– Bayer Leverkusen have signed Man City forward Claudio Echeverri on a season-long loan. Read
– Bournemouth have completed the €21m signing of Bayer Leverkusen winger Amine Adli. Read
– Leeds have signed Switzerland forward Noah Okafor from AC Milan for a reported fee which could rise to £18m. Read
– United States youth international Adrian Simon Gill has extended his contract with Barcelona until 2026. Read
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Sam Tighe on why Arsenal are unlikely to sign both Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers.
It’s no surprise that Arsenal have reignited their Eze interest — perhaps the surprise was that they let it go cold, after clearly doing a lot of groundwork on the deal in early summer — and Rogers, who was just crowned PFA Young Player of the Year, is a player of such potential, he’ll be on everyone’s watchlist.
The players share some distinct similarities: They’re both exciting, dynamic, ball-carrying forwards who can play across the attacking midfield line (although Eze rarely plays on the right); they both cut their teeth in the EFL Championship, making them relatively late bloomers at the top level; and they’re both homegrown, which always helps with squad registration.
Eze, four years Rogers’ senior, is understandably a much more polished footballer. The highlight reel shows 45 Premier League goal contributions in the past three seasons; the deep dive reveals how often he makes the right choice in possession, which is a truly valuable trait.
Rogers is fairly inexperienced for a 23-year-old these days, but is catching up fast. His 40-yard runs with the ball are thrilling, but he does lose the ball a lot too — he ranked in the 6th percentile last season for mis-controls (3.29 per 90) and the 13th percentile for times dispossessed (2.14 per 90).
Eze is ready for a big step; Rogers less so. Having already signed six senior players this summer, it’s highly unlikely the Gunners can acquire both, and if it is to be Eze, it’s likely the right call.
OTHER RUMORS
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– Manchester United have been linked with three midfielders: Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume and Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand, but have yet to progress a deal for any of them. (GMS)
– Everton are interested in Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaly Mykolenko both having suffered injuries. (Daily Mail)
– Real Betis are looking at signing Arsenal left back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will be allowed to move on this summer. (GMS)
– Marseille are looking at Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas and West Ham United’s Emerson Palmieri as they aim to sign a left back. (Footmercato)
– Galatasaray and Al Ittihad have joined Internazionale, Juventus and AC Milan in looking at Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot after he was placed on the transfer list for a fight with teammate Jonathan Rowe. (Footmercato)
– Al Ahli have raised their offer to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli to €35m, with a salary of €12m per year. (Nicolo Schira)
– Marc Casado can decide his own future, but Barcelona would be open to offers for the midfielder worth over €30m. Wolves, Bournemouth, West Ham United, Real Betis and Atletico Madrid are among those interested in the 21-year-old. (Sport)
– Villarreal have agreed to sign Renato Veiga from Chelsea in a €29.5m package that includes add-ons and a percentage of the defender’s next move. (Fabrizio Romano)
– AC Milan have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen worth €30m for the loan of striker Victor Boniface with an option to permanently sign him. The Rossoneri are also looking at Sporting CP forward Conrad Harder and Vasco da Gama winger Rayan. (Sky Sports Italia)
– Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement with Juventus for the loan of Douglas Luiz with an obligation to make the deal permanent dependent on the number of games he plays. Forest also have an option to sign the midfielder for around €30m if that figure isn’t met. (Athletic)
– Luiz’s departure means Juventus can move to bring striker Kolo Randal Muani back from Paris Saint-Germain on a €10m loan with a €35m-€40m conditional obligation to make the deal permanent. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Bayer Leverkusen have made Monaco winger Eliesse Ben Seghir their priority for the rest of the transfer window. Negotiations are ongoing with the Ligue 1 side wanting a fee of well over €30m. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Bayer Leverkusen have also put Feyenoord midfielder Quinten Timber on their shortlist as they look to strengthen that position. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Bournemouth have rekindled their interest in Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. (Daily Mail)
– Galatasaray will make their offer to Manuel Akanji after reaching an agreement with Manchester City for the defender. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Napoli are negotiating with Girona for right-back Arnau Martinez, who they see as a back-up option if they are unable to sign Sevilla’s Juanlu Sanchez. (Calciomercato)
– Girona are positioning themselves to bring in Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, but there is also competition from Como and Celta Vigo among others. (Mundo Deportivo)
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Pakistan to participate in Pro League, confirms FIH

Pakistan men’s hockey team has accepted an invitation to compete in the Pro League 2025–26 season, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Thursday.
The Green Shirts were formally invited by the apex body to participate in the “League of the Best” after Hockey New Zealand withdrew from the nine-team tournament despite winning the FIH Nations Cup earlier this year in Malaysia.
The PHF was initially given a deadline of August 12 to confirm its national men’s team’s participation, but the federation sought an extension until August 20 as it was awaiting financial support from the government.
The federation was subsequently issued Rs250m for the event on Wednesday, leading to it confirming its men’s team’s participation the next day.
“The International Hockey Federation (FIH) can confirm that the Pakistan men’s hockey team, nicknamed the Green Shirts, have accepted the invitation to participate in the upcoming 2025-26 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League,” the apex body said in a statement.
Pakistan will join arch-rivals India, alongside Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain in the upcoming seventh edition of the tournament, replacing Ireland, who were relegated after finishing last in the previous season.
The Green Shirts’ participation in the tournament meant that they would also square off against traditional rivals India, who narrowly escaped relegation last season as they finished just above bottom-ranked Ireland.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram expressed his delight over Pakistan’s addition to the Pro League, stating it would be a major boost for the team with a rich history and would bolster the tournament’s viewership.
“Great to see Pakistan back in elite competition — this is a truly impactful milestone for world hockey,” Ikram said in an FIH-released statement.
“Their return marks not only the comeback of a team with such a rich and storied history, but also an exciting boost to the visibility and reach of the FIH Hockey Pro League. I can already anticipate an enhanced visibility of the Pro League with Pakistan’s participation.
“Congratulations to the Pakistan men’s team for qualifying through the FIH Hockey Nations Cup and earning their place in the ‘League of the Best’ for the very first time. This achievement is a strong example of how creating more opportunities at every level of our sport fosters growth and provides a natural pathway to the very top.”
For the unversed, Pakistan were set to participate in the inaugural edition of the FIH Pro League in 2019 but pulled out their first three games scheduled against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, citing ‘inevitable circumstances’, which resulted in them being suspended from the tournament’s remainder.
Sports
Afghanistan have no ‘specific targets’, says captain Rashid

Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan says his team have no “specific targets” despite producing groundbreaking performances in recent ICC global events, ahead of a T20 international tri-series starting Friday.
Rashid’s men face Pakistan in the opening game in Sharjah, with the United Arab Emirates the other side taking part in the event which serves as a warm-up for next month’s Asia Cup, also in the UAE.
Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean, and narrowly missed out on reaching the last four at the ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan earlier in 2025.
Those performances followed an impressive showing at the 2023 one-day World Cup, when the Afghans produced statement wins over England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“We do not have specific targets, and we do not want to put extra pressure on our players,” Rashid said Thursday when asked if Afghanistan are targeting the Asia Cup title.
“Our target is to play the brand of cricket we have played over the years. For us, the main target is to put in 200% effort on the ground,” he added.
“I think we have been doing well in the ICC events and although we haven’t played T20I cricket over the last few months, the guys have been playing in T20 leagues around the world and that has helped.”
Afghanistan beat Pakistan 2-1 in a T20I series at the same venue in 2023.
The 16-man Afghan squad for the tri-series includes fast-rising mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar along with fellow spin bowlers Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid.
The Asia Cup gets under way on September 9, as teams ramp up their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Contrary to Afghanistan, Pakistan’s fortunes are dipping after they crashed out of the last T20 World Cup in the group stage before failing to win a match at the Champions Trophy.
This year they lost a T20 series in Bangladesh 2-1 but overcame the West Indies by the same margin.
Under new captain Salman Agha, Pakistan are going through a transition with former skippers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out of the T20 squad.
“We are trying to build a team and this tri-series and then the Asia Cup will be a good opportunity to achieve that,” said Agha.
“We know both these events will be challenging but we are ready.”
All three teams in the tri-series will play each other twice, with the top two to face off in a final on September 7.
Besides Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE, the Asia Cup will also include defending champions India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman and Hong Kong.
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